Closure device



June 25, 1946. c. H. ubn 2,402,556

CLOSURE DEVICE Filed Nov. 22, 1945 2-Sheets-Sheec l Fla; 5

INVENTOR. Cm mes l1. Juno BY Qua firmemsw c. H. JUDD CLOSURE DEVICE Filed Nov. 22, 1943 June 25, 1946.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Crmme: 1'7! Jbzw fir mmyew Patented June 25;,

citosnnn nnvrcs iilharles H. Judd, @leyeland, Ohio, assignor to can Products, Inc Cleveland, 01110, a corporation of Ulric Application Novber 22, as, Serial No. 511,223

1 on. (oi. 220-25) This invention relates to a closure device in a plane at a right angle to Fig. 6, as indiadapted to be very quickly applied to a structure cated by the line il on Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a side from the exterior thereof to close an opening elevation of the device in one of the positions therein. More particularly, the invention prooccupied during insertion; Fig. 9 is a plan of this 'vides a closure plate for the exterior of the openembodiment showing in broken lines the relative ing, a bridge plate adapted to extend across the position which the bridge plate may assume as opening at'the interior and carrying a nut and a the bolt is tightened; Fig. 10 is a sectional'elethreaded bolt passing through the outer plate vation of this embodiment tightened in position and threaded into a nut carried by the bridge on astructural plate.

' plate so that when the parts are in place and the 10 As shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the closure bolt is tightened the outer plate is clamped snugly device comprises broadly a. closure plate ill, a across the opening. A feature of my device is bridge plate 20, and a clamping bolt litthreaded that the bridge member is so formed that it may into the bridge plate.

be readily passed through an Opening in the The closure plate It is preferably a circular structure and thereafter shifted to bridge the disc, slightly dished so that its peripheral edge opening. only may contact with the surface of structure An object of the invention is to provide such a that is to be applied. This closure plate is formed closure'device in a. form which may make a subwith a frusto-conical inward extension l2, the

stantially flush closure for the opening. Such a central opening i3 of which is of the proper size flush cl su e a s is especially i t t n for the free'passage of the bolt shank.

closing external openings in airplanes (either Th bridge plate 26 is of approximately recthose formed accidentally or those made inten tangular form, as indicated in Fig. 3, but at one tionally to allow access to the interior) and end 2| is rounded and at the other end is curved s cases it it e y i ta t t e amount upwardly, as shownat 22. From the flat portion of external projection be reduced to the minimum f the plate 20, I provide a pair of dome segments to enable a. substantially flush external surface. 26 and 25 and between these segments I form Another object of my invention is to provide a pair of tongues 23 which are anchored to the very ready means for preventing thevnut membody of the bridge plate and incline upwardly ber of the combination from rotating as the bolt beyond the surface of the dome, indicated by the isturned into place. 30 segments.

The drawings illustrate two forms of my inven- The tongues 26 are made by a pair of parallel tion, first a. form wherein the provision for preslits 21 across the dome portion of the device venting the rotation of the nut is carried by the connected by a transverse space forming a central ut ts f and the second, a form where the rotabolt opening through such dome portion reaching tion preventer is carried by the closure plate, this t t ut Thu th t o ton ue are free at latter embodiment forming the subject matter of their sides and adjacent ends but attached to the y divisional application d April body at their extreme ends. .The tongues are 5 10, 1944. Each of these forms has the closure notched at their free ends, as shown at 28, and Plate h a tersunk portion to receive a warped in opposite directions so that they define conical head on the bolt, to provide the desirable 40 one turn of a helical thread. i substantially flush exterior. The bolt 30 is formed with conical head 3| In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the adapted to seat in the countersunk recess l2 of first embodiment of the closure device; Fig. 2 is a the closure plate and a shank 32 which carries a similar view of the same device showing it in one parallel thread. The inner end of thebolt shank of its positions while being passed through the is somewhat upset as shown at 33,150 prevent sepaopening in a structural plate, shown in the view; ration of the parts when not in use. The conical Fig. 3 is a plan of the closure device of Figs. 1 head is preferably provided with the screwdriver and2; Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the de-'- slot 35.

vice applied to a. structure having a, normally Before. application. the fastener plate and hidden nut to whichaccess may be obtained by bridge plate are separated a suitable distance removing the closure; Fig. 5 is a cross section -on the shank to allow the bridge plate to be through the closure plate and bridge plate in the readily passed through an opening in the strucposition of Fig. 1 with the bolt omitted; Fig. 6 ture. Fig. 2 shows, for instance, a structural is a. side elevation of' the second embodiment of plate A having an opening a and hows the bridge my closure device; Fig. Tisa cross section thereof plate being passed through such opening. The

3 width of the bridge plate is slightly less than the diameter of the opening, and by tipping the device, as indicated in Fig. 2, the major portion of the bridge plate may be passed diagonally through the opening and then by swingin the device in a clockwise direction and shifting it toward the left in Fig. 2, the whole of the bridge plate may be passed through the opening. Then by shifting the device toward the right the I rounded end 2| of the bridge plate will come be-" yond the right hand portion of the opening.

'mately right angle to directions so that their ends deflne a helical turn When the parts are positioned the tightening of the bolt brings the frusto-conical portion of the closure plate into the opening and causes the peripheral edge of such plate to engage the outer face of the structural member A. As the bolt is turned-in tight the tongues 26 are sprung inwardly to obtain a very firm strut action against the bolt. At the same time the dished outer disc may be somewhat flattened. Thus when the parts are in their final position, theclosure plate extends only slightly beyond the surface of the supporting plate A and leaves 'a substantially flush exterior.

' In various structures, especially in airplane work, there are restricted spaces back of a facing plate to which it is desired to secure access from the exterior by the removal of a closure across an opening in such face plate. Such construction is illustrated in Fig. 4, where B is a cross section of a channel beam flanged at its edges and having the face plate A attached to it. In

this figure,.I have indicated some member C secured to the outer face of the channel web by a nut D screwing onto athreaded stud 0 projecting from the member 0 through the web of the channel. The opening a of the face plate A allows access to the nut for its tightening or loosening by a socket wrench, My device provides a ready closure for such opening.

When the closure is in position, as indicated in Fig. 4, the upturned end 22 lies in contact with an inner surface of the structural portion 13 and prevents rotation of the bridge member. Accordingly, when the device is put in place from the exterior through the opening a, the screw may be turned tightly into position by the mere application of a screw driver to the slot 35.

The embodiment of Figs. 6 to 10 also has the closure plate with the frusto-conical portion, the bridge plate with the raised warped tongues, and the bolt with the conical head. In this case. however', the rotation preventer for the nut comprises a tongue formed on the closure plate and projecting inwardly therefrom so that they may be engaged by the bridge plate.

Referring to the parts of the second embodiment by reference numerals, 40 indicates the closure plate, 50 the bridge plate and 60 the bolt. The closure plate 40 is somewhat dished, as shown at 4i, and has the frusto-conical portion 42 terminating in the opening 43. This closure plate is provided with a tongue 45 which is cut from for the bolt. Preferably, the corners of the bridge plate 50 are bent down, as shown at 85, to provide anchorage prongs to engage the structure against which the parts are clamped.

The bolt is the same as in the first embodiment having a conical head 8|, a shank withparallel threads 62, and an upset end 63.

E in Fig. 10 indicates a suitable structural plate having an opening e through which the bridge plate of my device may be passed, In mounting the device it is tipped somewhat, as indicated in Fig. 8 and bridge plate passed through the opening e, after which the device is shifted slightly to cause both end portions of the bridge plate to extend beyond the opening and" to bring the tongue 45 of the closure plate into position against the periphery of the opening. Then the. screw is tightened, bringing the parts into the.

position shown in Fig. 10.

In the rotation of the screw 60, the nut member will naturally tend to rotate with the screw, but in such rotation its edge impinges against the tongue 45, which prevents further rotation. Then the bridge plate descends along the tongue as the screw is rotated and finally comes into the position shown' in Fig. 10. In this position the prongs in the comers of the bridge plate become imbedded in the member E to anchor the entire ,device to the supporting structure,

The closure device of this second embodiment is well adapted, for instance, for patching openings made in airplane walls, as, for instance, by passage of a bullet. To effect the repair it is only necessary to ream out the opening sufliciently for the Passage of the bridge plate and then to insert the device and tighten it.

I claim:

A device for closing an opening in a plate while mounted on a structural member, said structural member being on the inner side of the plate and having a portion projecting therefrom at one side of the opening, comprising a closure plate adapted to coverthe opening on the outer side thereof,

the body of the plate, and from material beyond a bridge plate having an intermediate region deformed about an opening therethrough to provide a thread-engager, and a threaded bolt passing through the closure plate and the bridge plate and threadingly occupying said thread engager, said bridge plate being narrower than the closure plate and having an extension at one side only, which extension carries a projection at an angle theretoadapted to engage a face of said projecting portion of the structural member and prevent rotation of the bridge plate.

CHARLES H. JUDD. 

